Solomon succeeded David as king of Israel about 970 B.C. We do not know with certainty his exact age when he became King, but a study of Scripture suggests he was born around 990 B.C. which would make him about twenty years old when he took the throne. Think about any twenty-year-old you know right now, and you can imagine that becoming the ruler of a nation at that young age would present certain challenges. Solomon saw this, too, and described himself as “being like a little child” in his conversation with God in 1 Kings 3.
I do not think many twenty-something young men these days are too quick to see their own fallibility, so I think it is a safe assumption that it was an act of great humility for a man so young to recognize the limitations of his youthfulness. And as we shall see, the Lord agreed. Let’s look at Solomon’s conversation with God in its entirety; which is found in 1 Kings 3:5-14.
‘That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne. “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”
Solomon knew what to ask for but maybe even more importantly, he also knew who to ask! And the result was that he became the wisest mortal person to ever live! These days, we have self-professed “gurus” seemingly on every corner. From our own friends and family, to talk-show hosts and Hollywood celebrities, to authors and motivational speakers, we are inundated with advice. Some might be good, some is clearly bad, and most of it, perhaps, is just what our itching ears want to hear. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” And the prophet, Jeremiah, warned us: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9)
Because we really can’t trust ourselves to always discern correctly between good advice and bad, we need a source that has been proven trustworthy; and that source, as Solomon so famously knew, is the Word of God. When Solomon asked God for wisdom, he got more than he ever imagined and his wisdom became legendary. The Bible says “God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.” And that “kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.” (1 Kings 4:29,34)
Fortunately for us, we have the entire Bible to turn to when we need wisdom. The Bible has this to say about itself: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16) James wrote this, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5) And in the book of Job, “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.” (Job 12:13)
I simply cannot say it better than God, so I think it more sufficient to simply share a few of my favorite verses on wisdom:
O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:24)
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! (Psalm 111:10)
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:2-6)
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. (Proverbs 3:7,13,14)
Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:24)
No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord. (Proverbs 21:30)
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom. (Isaiah 28:29)
He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. (Daniel 2:20)
But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it. (Luke 7:35)
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. (1 Corinthians 1:30)
In him (Christ) lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colassians 2:3)
It is our prayer you will grow in understanding as you turn to the one true source of wisdom, the Word of God. For those who are saved, God also gave us the Holy Spirit to help us with understanding and discernment. When we pray first, and read his Word daily, we find that God will transform us into new people by changing the way we think. (Romans 12:2) And if you do not yet know Christ as your Lord and Savior, now is the perfect time to seek him. For all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. For more information, please click this link:
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